EMT - fairies and the Otherworld
Oct 22, 2021, 05:05 PM
Speaker: Merrily Harper
GPS coordinates: 53.730372, -8.094585
As the rain beat down with unusual ferocity on a corrugated roof, hear the great Merrily Harper tell us her lore. Recorded in Luke Gibbons pub back in May 2012 by Sliabh Bawn mountain in County Roscommon.
As you turn right and begin your climb to the mountain, we tell you of the Otherworld. The Otherworld (orbis alia) in Celtic mythology is postulated (but not known) to be the realm of the dead, the home of the deities, or the stronghold of other spirits and beings such as the SÃdhe. A place only visible once a year at Samhain or Hallowe'en. Tales and folklore describe it as existing over the western sea, or at other times underground (such as in the Sidhe mounds) or right alongside the world of the living, but invisible to most humans. Believe it or not, you are only a few miles from the Gateway to the Otherworld.
On our Top 100 Guide, we feature Rathcroaghan Visitor's Centre in Tulsk. One of the features of the place is the Cave of Cats or Oweynagat asouth-west of Rathcroghan Mound It is a souterrain beneath an old road leading into a dark, narrow limestone cave. This cave was believed to be a gateway to the otherworld with many creatures emerging that generally caused havoc across the country. The name Oweynagat means "cave of the cats", which could refer to the large wild cats which the Ulster champions must fight in the tale of "Bricrius Feast". The entrance is small and you need to crawl to enter but once inside, the cave opens up to become a huge high space. Cats do not appear in the stories associated with the Cave of the Cats, strangely it has lots of association with cows! Apparently, the Morrigan drove her cows through the cave. Another story tells us that a woman travelled for many miles underground because she held on to the tail of a calf that entered the cave… An 18th century text tells us that the cave is the "Hell-mouth of Ireland". It is not visited much today, but it is still freely accessible to the brave. Just don't go inside the cave near the feast of Samhain - you have been warned!
From our Samhain lore playlist: https://audioboom.com/playlists/4634161-samhain-lore
#Samhain #Halloween #Otherworld #Supernatural #Paralleluniverse
© 2021-2022 Racontour Productions. This clip forms part of the Celtic Calendar audio archive from Racontour Productions. Feel free to share if enjoyed, but with a credit or a social media tag to Racontour Productions please.
SPOTIFY: This platform has allowed us to be creative in ensuring you can access it on your smart phone with ease. Below are the Spotify options: -
Celtic Calendar playlist - no music, just audio of all four festivals.
Samhain folklore - music and lore for Samhain
Imbolc folklore - music and lore for Imbolc
Bealtaine folklore - music and lore for Bealtaine
Lughnasa folklore - music and lore for Lughnasa
GPS coordinates: 53.730372, -8.094585
As the rain beat down with unusual ferocity on a corrugated roof, hear the great Merrily Harper tell us her lore. Recorded in Luke Gibbons pub back in May 2012 by Sliabh Bawn mountain in County Roscommon.
As you turn right and begin your climb to the mountain, we tell you of the Otherworld. The Otherworld (orbis alia) in Celtic mythology is postulated (but not known) to be the realm of the dead, the home of the deities, or the stronghold of other spirits and beings such as the SÃdhe. A place only visible once a year at Samhain or Hallowe'en. Tales and folklore describe it as existing over the western sea, or at other times underground (such as in the Sidhe mounds) or right alongside the world of the living, but invisible to most humans. Believe it or not, you are only a few miles from the Gateway to the Otherworld.
On our Top 100 Guide, we feature Rathcroaghan Visitor's Centre in Tulsk. One of the features of the place is the Cave of Cats or Oweynagat asouth-west of Rathcroghan Mound It is a souterrain beneath an old road leading into a dark, narrow limestone cave. This cave was believed to be a gateway to the otherworld with many creatures emerging that generally caused havoc across the country. The name Oweynagat means "cave of the cats", which could refer to the large wild cats which the Ulster champions must fight in the tale of "Bricrius Feast". The entrance is small and you need to crawl to enter but once inside, the cave opens up to become a huge high space. Cats do not appear in the stories associated with the Cave of the Cats, strangely it has lots of association with cows! Apparently, the Morrigan drove her cows through the cave. Another story tells us that a woman travelled for many miles underground because she held on to the tail of a calf that entered the cave… An 18th century text tells us that the cave is the "Hell-mouth of Ireland". It is not visited much today, but it is still freely accessible to the brave. Just don't go inside the cave near the feast of Samhain - you have been warned!
From our Samhain lore playlist: https://audioboom.com/playlists/4634161-samhain-lore
#Samhain #Halloween #Otherworld #Supernatural #Paralleluniverse
© 2021-2022 Racontour Productions. This clip forms part of the Celtic Calendar audio archive from Racontour Productions. Feel free to share if enjoyed, but with a credit or a social media tag to Racontour Productions please.
SPOTIFY: This platform has allowed us to be creative in ensuring you can access it on your smart phone with ease. Below are the Spotify options: -
Celtic Calendar playlist - no music, just audio of all four festivals.
Samhain folklore - music and lore for Samhain
Imbolc folklore - music and lore for Imbolc
Bealtaine folklore - music and lore for Bealtaine
Lughnasa folklore - music and lore for Lughnasa